Robert Matau
What started off with the leaking of a name of the facilitator for Fiji’s planned President’s Political Dialogue Forum has now escalated into a diplomatic uproar that could prove costly in terms of regional politics.
After the Commonwealth and the United Nations mooted the name of distinguished Papua New Guinea statesman and former PM, Sir Rabbie Namaliu, the name was leaked to the Fiji media and found its way to politicians attending the meeting.
Minority parties, General Voters Party and Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua, delegates to the meeting believed Namaliu was too close to Australia and New Zealand for comfort.
GVP official John Sanday, who has business interests in Papua New Guinea, said the issue had the capacity to override the main purpose of the political meetings .
They believed that PNG’s Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare or an imminent local should become the facilitator as that person should know what makes Fiji tick and understand its politics better.
“Somare (Sir Michael) knows us better than Namaliu (Sir Rabbie) and anyway we need someone who understands issues in Fiji,” Sanday said after the meeting.
Immediately after, Namaliu told Radio Australia he was stepping down after Fiji’s political parties described him a puppet of Australia and New Zealand.
His PM, Somare, was also not happy with the comments by the Fiji political parties even though some may have fancied the grand chief to be the grand facilitator.
He said the puppet tag was insulting to the government and people of PNG.
Efforts to get comments from PNG’s high commissioner to Fiji, Peter Eafare proved futile.
Australian National University economist and someone who is well versed in regional matters, Doctor Satish Chand said the earlier we turn Fiji towards normalcy the better for all of us.  
“In this context, the dumping of Namaliu is most unfortunate.
“Namaliu is genuine and a smart intellectual. He would have helped the Interim Government and Fiji as a whole move forward and towards normalcy.
“Calling him a puppet of anyone is beyond belief. Namaliu was the first indigenous academic to join UPNG and amongst the first from PNG to be trained abroad.
“The guy was a good PM and is still widely respected in PNG for the work he has done.
“PNG has been one of the strongest supporters of the Interim Government. With Namaliu pulling out, this support will definitely diminish.
Somare and PNG have always been a friend to Fiji whether it is Voreqe Bainimarama, Laisenia Qarase, Mahendra Chaudhry or Sitiveni Rabuka.
That trust was built on a friendship he built with one of the masterminds of the Pacific Islands Forum and regarded as a statesman, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
Today, those walls of trust and respect for Fiji may be crumbling.
Sanday’s party comprises a number of members of the Catholic Church, a church Bainimarama has strong support in, including seasoned politician Fred Caine, once a member of Mara’s Alliance party.  
Sanday said: “We are not one community in Fiji but we are a diversity of races with different values and ideals to life and issues.
“In land, an Indian would think on the lines of availability but for Fijians it would be maximum return for its use and protecting their right to land ownership.
“The question will be how we will build bridges and come to a common ground on these issues."
Former Prime Minister of Fiji and Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei leader Rabuka believes an election can be held in parallel with a referendum by as early as 2011.
Rabuka also voiced support for Namaliu having worked with him when he was Prime Minister. He said both Namaliu and Somare are capable and qualified enough to do the job and he did not have a problem with any of them.
While everyone had their say at the forum,  one of the more experienced politicians and highly rated leaders, Fiji’s former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry was notably missing, attending some meeting in India.  
Chaudhry was head of the Fiji Labour Party, Fijian Association Party and Veitokani Lewenivanua Vakarisito Party coalition, voted into power in 1999, after voters rejected a multi-racial constitution paraded by Rabuka and his Opposition colleague Jai Ram Reddy of the National Federation Party.
Rabuka said Chaudhry’s absence showed where his priorities are.
Since Bainimarama took over power from Laisenia Qarase in 2006, Chaudhry joined Bainimarama and became interim Finance Minister.
Last year, he and his members in the Interim Government resigned from that position with relations between his party and the Interim Government looking warm on the surface.
The media anticipated the exclusion of Qarase’s Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua but this proved to be an anti-climax as Qarase and party president Solomoni Naivalu and director Peceli Kinivuwai attended.
Kinivuwai said the focus should be on the issues that unite Fiji and not divisive issues.
“This meeting is not about point scoring or showmanship but a real test of statesmanship,” he said.
Bainimarama said it was important for all to exercise goodwill and unite. “A collective unity of purpose, national unity and patriotism must now be our highest priority,” he said.
All major and minor political parties responded to the goodwill call by Bainimarama by attending the meeting noting its importance. For others it may not have been so important.
For the time being, most parties are game to any attempt to help Fiji move forward but only time will tell how effective and meaningful these talks turn out to be.
The focus should be moving Fiji forward to a free and fair democratic election—be it Namaliu, Somare or a local.
But who leaked the name and what interest did it serve is the answer to where these talks are heading.